fan box to move air in keezer

[bucfanmike]

I have had a small foaming issue since building my keezer. I have made numerous adjustments to line length and pressures. My only foaming now is the very first glass. Watching the beer in the line and thru the help of others it seems that its just a matter of the beer lines not staying as cold as the rest of the system. I have 12' lines coiled on the top of each keg. So here is what I hope solves the first pour problem. I used a project box from radio shack, a 120mm computer fan and an old nokia charger I had lying around. A 3" flexible venting tube, and a pvc flange thing from menards.




forgot to click another pic with the hose but i think you see where i was going with this. Now the box is on the bottom of the keezer and the flexible tubing is moving the colder air from the bottom and blowing over the hoses I have coiled near the taps.

Whaddya think? should this help that first pour?

Mike in Duluth

 

[Kerberbb]

I can't say I have heard of that before but it could work. Had you thought of just trying to insulate the beer lines? You know with foam tube insulation like they have on air conditioning units. Because the beer should be plenty cold coming out of the keg.

 

[Catt22]

Yes, absolutely it will help, although you don't need anything that elaborate to get the job done. Simply having a fan to move the air around is enough. No need to even place it at the bottom of the freezer.

Here's how I did it:

I run the fan full time with the controller probe mounted just below it directly in the air stream. The fan is blowing downward. It's not only the beer lines that get warm, but also the taps if you have them mounted through a collar.

Here's a slightly off topic additional tip that may help. Get some 1/4" OD poly water line tubing from Lowes or HD. It's sold for use as the water supply line for refrigerator ice makers etc. It's really cheap at 25 ft for about $3. Insert a section of this tubing into the long beer out dip tube in your kegs and trim to the same length as the dip tube. This will substantially increase the resistance. You can then shorten your beer lines considerably. My beer lines are only about 36" long. This will also permit you to maintain the kegs at 12 or 13 psi without the need to bleed off pressure to reduce foaming when you pour a beer. These two modifications solved my beer pouring problems completely.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Meh. I just set the muffin fan across two or three keg chimes and let the air blow down between.

Small fan, sealed box. Eventually all the air will get moved around. Ssince having the fan, I have issues with the faucets condensating.

 

[Catt22]

Meh. I just set the muffin fan across two or three keg chimes and let the air blow down between.

Small fan, sealed box. Eventually all the air will get moved around. Ssince having the fan, I have issues with the faucets condensating.

Meh...yes, some condensation will form on the faucets when the ambient humidity is high, but IMO that's not a big deal at all as the drip try catches it. I like having the fan mounted where it's completely out of the way.

 

[NBABUCKS1]

What's the rational in having fan blow downward? Wouldn't you want it blowing up to circulate cold air from the bottom?

 

[Catt22]

What's the rational in having fan blow downward? Wouldn't you want it blowing up to circulate cold air from the bottom?

IMO, it makes no difference at all. It could be blowing sideways and it would be just as effective. All you need to do is keep the air circulating inside the freezer. I chose to have it blowing downward so that I could place the controller probe below the fan directly in the air stream. IIRC, the fan I have moves 65 CFM. The feezer is only 7.5 CFM, so all the air is getting turned over more than eight times every minute. It's windy in there!